China Southern Airlines signing offers huge potential
22 October 2012
Rotorua District Council (RDC) has been invited to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China's largest carrier, China Southern Airlines, in Guangzhou later this month.
The agreement offers huge potential for broadening the important Chinese visitor market, particularly China's growing semi-FIT, or free independent travellers' segment.
China Southern Airlines is the fastest growing airline flying into New Zealand and operates a daily direct service between Guangzhuo and Auckland.
RDC Economic and Regulatory Services group manager Mark Rawson said the local tourism industry understood there was much to learn about the emerging semi-FIT China market and the need to fine-tune services and products on offer.
The MoU with China Southern, the country's leading international airline, will inevitably lead to more market-specific visitor product being provided here.
Rotorua Tourism Committee chairman Tony Marks said the agreement with China Southern Airlines was part of a wider marketing strategy. He said the strategy includes building on the current mainland China focus to other Chinese speaking markets in the future, and working closely with all principal carriers operating between New Zealand and China.
Mark Rawson said timing for the delegation's visit to China was perfect as it preceded Tourism New Zealand's major China Road Show.
Our group will be signing the MoU with officials at China Southern's head office in Guangzhou, visiting the airline's regional offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing, and meeting key travel wholesalers and online travel companies.
Our delegation arrived in China on Thursday [18 October] and includes Deputy Mayor Trevor Maxwell and representatives of the local tourism and education sectors, and Destination Rotorua Marketing.
Last year we also signed an MoU with Nanjing and Jiangning local government and on this visit they are giving us access to their travel networks so we can promote Rotorua to them.
We're also hoping to negotiate a collaborative relationship between Rotorua Museum and Nanjing's museum with a view to staging reciprocal exhibitions.
These are incredibly exciting opportunities for Rotorua. We're very fortunate to have the support of China Southern Airlines who are hosting many of our arrangements in China, said Mr Rawson.